A Woman (1915) User Reviews (14)

"Let's rest our soles and exercise our eyes!"

[Anonymous_Maxine · 7/10 · 27 February 2008]

A Woman is one of the most sexually charged Chaplin films I've ever seen, and not only because Charlie spends a lot of it dressed as a woman. From the very opening of the film ("Charlie Chaplin in A Woman") to the scene where he's having tea and bagels. He takes a long, phallic knife and skewers the bagels, allowing them to slide down the shaft onto their plates, and then he quips, "I do this trick in my bath - when I have one."

When you have one what, Charlie?

The rest of the film, however, is family friendly fun, even when Charlie is dressed as a woman. Most of the time he is playfully fending off the advances of a man who was furious with him minutes before, but now is completely fooled by the disguise. Charlie slaps and pushes and shoves him, knocking him over backwards and over furniture and whatnot, a lot of the typical slapstick that we have come to expect from Chaplin's short comedies of this era.

This is not the only time Chaplin has dressed up as a woman in one of his short films, and once again he is surprisingly, almost disturbingly, convincing in the costume. A lot of the comedy of his silent slapstick comes from the effeminate nature of his mannerisms, and he puts those to good use here.

The first half also takes place in a park and therefore resembles countless of his other short films that take place in a park, which used to be Chaplin's favorite place to go and set up the cameras and just let a little comedy happen, and it's clear that that was what was happening in this film. But the second half makes up for the unsurprising first half. Not a bad little film at all.

Falling for Charlie

[TheLittleSongbird · 7/10 · 7 June 2018]

Am a big fan of Charlie Chaplin, have been for over a decade now. Many films and shorts of his are very good to masterpiece, and like many others consider him a comedy genius and one of film's most important and influential directors.

From his Essanay period after leaving Keystone, 'A Woman' is not one of his very best or even among the best of this particular period. It shows a noticeable step up in quality though from his Keystone period, where he was still evolving and in the infancy of his long career, from 1914, The Essanay period is something of Chaplin's adolescence period where his style had been found and starting to settle. Something that can be seen in the more than worthwhile 'A Woman'.

'A Woman' is not one of his all-time funniest or most memorable, other efforts also have more pathos and a balance of that and the comedy. The story is still a little flimsy, there are times where it struggles to sustain the short length, and could have had more variety and less more of the same repeition.

On the other hand, 'A Woman' looks pretty good, not incredible but it was obvious that Chaplin was taking more time with his work (even when deadlines were still tight) and not churning out as many countless shorts in the same year of very variable success like he did with Keystone. Appreciate the importance of his Keystone period and there is some good stuff he did there, but the more mature and careful quality seen here and later on is obvious.

While not one of his funniest or original, 'A Woman' is still very entertaining with some clever, entertaining and well-timed slapstick. It moves quickly and there is no dullness in sight, it's also very charming and sweet without being cloying.

Chaplin directs more than competently, if not quite cinematic genius standard yet. He also, as usual, gives an amusing and expressive performance and at clear ease with the physicality of the role. The supporting cast acquit themselves well.

In conclusion, pretty good. 7/10 Bethany Cox

But, Where Is the Mustache?

[nukisepp · 7/10 · 27 January 2021]

'A Woman' is a simplistic but not a simple movie. An easy premise whose only purpose is for Chaplin to dress up as a woman. He makes a quite convincing and gorgeous one (I couldn't help but notice how much Geraldine Chaplin looked and smiled like her father). The plot is simple and it can't hold much criticism - it can raise some serious questions when to think about it too deep. The physical stunts played in the park are clever. The build-ups are as amusing as the punchlines. Of course, when Charlie finally gets dressed as a woman, the jokes become a little bit riskier (but not less clever). It's easy to see why this film was forbidden in some countries.

Some other reviewer wrote: not a perfect Chaplin short - to which I want to replay: how many perfect Chaplin shorts are there? Anyway, 'A Woman' is worthy to see because of cleverly staged physical comedy (and gorgeous Charlie). Although, I agree, far from Chaplin's greatest, it is a joyous watch.

Simple, But Works Pretty Well

[Snow Leopard · 14 January 2003]

While much of this is fairly simple comedy, it's interesting and worth watching for a couple of reasons. The first half is a slapstick sequence that could have come from any number of Chaplin's early short features, but it is a little better than average for knockabout slapstick, because the timing is generally pretty good and the situation is developed enough to make it amusing. The second half, for which the movie is better known, focuses on Charlie's appearance as "A Woman", and it is carried off pretty well. Unlike many such sequences, it doesn't try to get more out of the situation than is there, so it works pretty well. Overall, this movie is a little better than average among Chaplin's earlier short comedies.

The female version of Charlot

[anthonyf94 · 7/10 · 3 September 2019]

This is one of the most interesting firsts film of Chaplin. In reality, the plot is similar to all the other short films of the great Charlot, with a narrative construction that's just a pretext to generate all kind of gags, mostly based on body and slapstick sketches. But here we can see also Chaplin act as a woman and his ability to understand all the movements and cliché of a comedian mask: if you have never seen this movie and you watch just the scene of woman version Chaplin, you can't recognize him, that looks also really cute! One of the proves of Chaplin acting abilities.

Chaplin Again In Drag

[CitizenCaine · 6/10 · 13 July 2008]

Chaplin again plays a woman (at least in the second half) of this film that he edited, wrote, directed, and starred in. The film begins sort of as another one of Chaplin's park comedies with Chaplin coming upon a man playing hide and seek in the park. Chaplin leads him to water so to speak, but not without teasing the audience along the way. He dispatches a cop in a unique fashion shortly after. He gets invited to the ladies' home where he runs into the husband/father that he lead to water earlier. Chaplin has to think fast and heads upstairs to escape and then runs into a dummy with a dress. He gets a bright idea and dons the dress but needs to be reminded by the young lady to lose his mustache and wear her shoes to be passable. He heads downstairs where the husband/father and a friend both fall for Chaplin in drag. This must have been uproarious back in its day while today it's mildly amusing. It's a quickly paced film that loses a little steam until the drag sequences. Of course Charlie is eventually found out, but not before he makes fools out of both gentlemen in front of the wife/mother and daughter. **1/2 of 4 stars.

"Your wife will never know what I know"

[Steffi_P · 8/10 · 31 October 2009]

The Essanay short pictures were for the most part a period of development and experimentation for Charlie Chaplin, but every now and then he just liked to do a bit of old fashioned mucking about. A Woman, his ninth film at this studio, begins with a mischievous, Keystone-ish farce-in-the-park, followed by a sequence based around one simple but very memorable gimmick.

In spite of its basic outline, A Woman does show the advances Chaplin had made and the professionalism with which he now crafted his pictures. He sets up the location and the main characters in a couple of economic introductory shots before having his tramp character invade the scene. Charlie himself then appears in the distance, his now-familiar silhouette all that is needed to announce that the mayhem can now begin. Throughout, Chaplin uses a lot of close-ups of faces, something he was doing a fair bit around this time, which perhaps shows a lack of confidence in the impact his gags had in full body shot. Here however I feel all these close-ups act as a build up to that startling (and I must say absolutely gorgeous) shot of "Nora's" feminised face.

Because of the set-up, we see the tramp at his cheekiest, perhaps a step back for the character, but an enjoyable step back. A Woman lacks the pathos and commentary of the more story-orientated Chaplin shorts that were starting to appear around this time, but it shows how much fun and funniness Charlie could create out of the simplest of elements.

… which brings us to that all-important statistic –

Number of kicks up the arse: 3 (1 for, 2 against)

Charlie Draglin

[Horst_In_Translation · 4/10 · 24 September 2015]

"A Woman" is another Charlie Chaplin movie from exactly 100 years ago. Looks like he was fairly prolific around that time. Anyway, this is obviously still a silent movie and black-and-white as well. The film runs for roughly 25 minutes and includes several of Chaplin's regular actors in his films. Some funnily awkward violence is included just like all kinds of mayhem Chaplin, who also directed this one, causes through his presence and actions. As a whole, it's an okay movie, but not among the silent film legend's best works in my opinions. If you have sound or some melody in this one, it was added later. Originally it was a silent film. Chaplin appearing in female clothes is, however, not enough to let me suggest watching this one. Not recommended.

not a perfect Chaplin short but still a "must see" historically

[planktonrules · 8/10 · 7 May 2006]

I am very glad I saw this Chaplin film, though it isn't exactly great. That's because it still is a funny film and I was absolutely amazed watching Chaplin in drag. He actually made a rather pretty woman--far more fetching than Jack Lemmon and Tony Curtis in SOME LIKE IT HOT! The film begins with Chaplin having a run-in at the park and tossing a guy and a cop into the lake. He then meets the man's wife and daughter and charms them. He doesn't know they are related to the man he assaulted so he isn't afraid to accompany the women home (I guess they just forgot about Dad). Well, once home, things seem to be going pretty well for the Little Tramp and he is quite smitten with the daughter and vice-versa. However, Dad finally returns and Charlie dressed as a woman to remain there and be with his new girlfriend. It's really cute when Dad begins making passes at Charlie and the film is a lot of fun.

The usual Chaplin, nothing more!

[RodrigAndrisan · 4/10 · 4 November 2017]

Let's be serious, it's not funny, I did not laugh. Chaplin is the same as in all his short films, before his great masterpieces. It is charming, indeed, but all we see are the same "gags", a lot of kicks in the ass, hat-pins that are also stuffed in the ass, again and again. Grimaces, exaggerated gestures and punches galore. The end!

Miss Charles Chaplin

[Petey-10 · 20 February 2001]

The king of comedy Charles Chaplin is hilarious in this 1915 silent short comedy.Once again Charlie gets in trouble.He is chased by two men and they go in a house.Chaplin goes upstairs as a man and comes down as a woman.And the chasers find him very attractive.Edna Purviance finds this situation very amusing.Man as a woman has been seen very many times in movies and many times it's funny.Chape certainly proves it in this movie.Chaplin makes a perfect lady.This movie is 20 minutes of fun.A Woman is a very lovable comedy flick from the master.I recommend it for everybody who likes to see Chaplin as a woman.And this was made long before Tootsie.

Charlie can be simply EVERYTHING - even a lovely girl!

[binapiraeus · 8/10 · 13 September 2014]

Well, well, well, Charlie becomes a gal... And this is the third time that we get to see him in drag (after "A Busy Day" and "The Masquerader") - but in "A Woman" he REALLY brings this role to perfection! And not only that: this short is so FULLY packed with hilarious gags that you simply can't stop laughing all the time...

It all starts like so many of his Keystone films: the little tramp takes a walk in the park and meets a pretty young girl, who's already 'occupied' with a gentleman, though, whom she blindfolds to play 'hide and seek' with him after he's knocked Charlie out. Well, such a thing demands revenge, of course, and so Charlie leads him with his cane around his neck to the lake - and pushes him in! But while the enraged 'gentleman' is trying to recover, Charlie gets friendly with his wife and daughter (Edna Purviance), whom the old philanderer had simply left sleeping on a bench, and they take him home with them, have tea together and get even more friendly - until Father comes home, and as soon as he recognizes the impudent little guy who pushed him into the lake, he starts chasing him, and the only way for Charlie is upstairs; and the only way out for him is to wear one of Edna's dresses, to shave his mustache, and to turn into a charming young lady... who immediately awakes Father's interest...!

The whole cast is simply wonderful throughout the whole film; and especially Charlie, of course - who really makes a most LOVELY 'girl'! Without his mustache, with a little bit of makeup, and playing it 'shy' in the most amusing way, he tricks and fools Father and his equally lecherous friend even into kissing each other!! Constant laughs are guaranteed in this outrageous and for its time quite daring picture; one of the most WONDERFUL examples of Keystone nostalgia, and great family entertainment even today, exactly 100 years later!

Chaplin as a Woman

[tgooderson · 5/10 · 2 July 2012]

Charlie Chaplin's ninth Essanay film is perhaps one of his most controversial. A Gentleman (Chaplin) is out walking through a park when he comes across a family (Charles Inslee, Marta Golden & Edna Purviance). The father, Inslee has his attention drawn towards a flirt (Margie Reiger). Reiger blindfolds Inslee after suggesting a game of hide and seek. Chaplin meanwhile discovers the blinded man and leads him towards a lake where he pushes him in. Later Chaplin comes across Golden and Purviance who fall for the cheeky chappy and invite him home. When Inslee arrives home soaking wet to find his attacker in the house Chaplin resorts to disguising himself in an unorthodox manner.

This film is most famous for Chaplin's cross-dressing, something that must have been quite brave and scandalous 97 years ago. For a twenty-first century audience it isn't particularly shocking or even funny so you have to imagine a late Edwardian audience's reaction in order to understand its significance.

This wasn't the first time that Chaplin cross dressed on film but it was the last. He had previously performed as a woman in The Masquerader and A Busy Day while at Keystone. While the act of cross dressing was frowned upon by many at the time, the practice was quite popular in early silent films. Perhaps the creepiest part of the whole episode is how feminine Chaplin looks in close up once he has shaved off his moustache. He makes a handsome woman. Another surprisingly bold part of this film is a scene in which a cross dressed Chaplin tricks two grown men into kissing each other. I was very surprised to see that.

In terms of the comedy, this is quite a weak effort. I only laughed twice during the entire twenty-eight minute run time which is very low compared to other Essanay films I've seen. Rather than full on slapstick, Chaplin tends to go to great lengths to set up gags here including one example where he spends a couple of minutes deciding where to kick Inslee into the lake. He uses his cane as a measuring stick to assess the depth of the water and the whole scene is much more measured than earlier films where he would more than likely just kick the man in and then probably do it again once he got back out.

Something else of note here is the reaction of passers by when Chaplin escapes from the house without trousers. Men run away and women faint even though he still has long johns on, covering his legs. It's funny to see how reactions have changed in the last century. Modern women tend to be disappointed if the leading man is covered up whereas their great grandmothers fainted at the sight of a mostly clothed man.

Overall A Woman is an unremarkable film save for the cross dressing. The story is quite clever and bold but there are very few laughs for a modern audience.

www.attheback.blogspot.com

Charlie

[kathyjaneke · 11 July 2004]

He is a such good actor.He make you laugh till got tears in your eyes for laugh so hard.Take sip of a guy drink and spit it out. Take the father from his cane push in the water and the other guy is in the water. When he goes with the ladies goes outside with no pants and try to find a place to get away goes upstairs put on a dress,shave his moustache and prissy around and the father pull the skirt off of Charlie. You can see what Charlie look like without his moustache and he look handsome without the moustache.That all of I knew of Charlie with his moustache big shoes and baggy pants, derby hat.The way he run and try to turn the corner he hop on one foot the other one is up.